


Dinner

by eClair23



Category: Kingdom Keepers - Ridley Pearson
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:33:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25157059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eClair23/pseuds/eClair23
Summary: Willa introduces Philby to her dad.
Relationships: Isabella "Willa" Angelo/Dell Philby
Kudos: 4





	Dinner

As Philby drove past the car wreck on the side of the road, the sound of sirens became ear-piercingly loud before fading into the distance. In the passenger’s seat, Willa gripped the arm rest so tightly her knuckles went white, her eyes shut tight until the sirens were far in the distance. Philby glanced over at her, his brows furrowed. He offered his right hand palm up across the center console. 

“You okay?”

She opened her eyes, looking at him for a moment before nodding slowly and taking his hand. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize!” He paused, lacing his fingers through hers and giving her hand a squeeze. “Is there anything I can do?”

She smiled at him ruefully. “I don’t think so. But thank you.”

“If you want to talk, I’m all ears. But no pressure.”

“No, it’s okay. I should give you a heads up before dinner anyway. I don’t want you to be surprised. My dad’s in a wheelchair. He, um, he was in a car wreck when I was thirteen, right before all the Keeper stuff started.” Willa’s gaze was in her lap. 

“Oh, wow.”

“Yeah. He, um, he was driving, and he got hit head on by a kid, a teenager… the, um, the front of the car sort of…” she sniffed, wiping at her eyes with her free hand, “crumpled, on top of his legs. I actually went out for the DHI job so we could afford the hospital bills.”

“Willa, that’s awful, I’m so sorry.”

She shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m used to it. It’s really hard on my mom, though. We’ve been fighting a lot lately… She’s had to take on a lot more of the care since I became a Keeper. I mean, it’s not like I’m available most of the time when she needs me. That’s part of why she’s so against the Keeper stuff.”

He thought for a moment. “There’s no reason you have to cross over every night. I didn’t realize how hard that was on you. Would it–would it help to have a night off?”

Her eyes lit up. “That would be amazing.”

“You got it.”

Her shoulders relaxed. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I should have, I was just… scared, I guess. And I didn’t want you to feel sorry for me.”

“It’s alright, love. Thank you for telling me.”

She gave him a weak smile.

“We’re all here for you, you know. You don’t have to shoulder all this stuff alone.”

“Thank you.”

They were quiet, listening to the radio on the way to Willa’s house. She relaxed once they pulled into the driveway, the feel of the gravel under Dell’s car comforting and familiar. 

“You ready?” She asked him, smirking.

He gave her hand a squeeze and let it go with a kiss to her knuckles. “Yep!”

Willa unlocked the door and let herself and Dell in, knocking as they entered.

“Hey, Mom, hey, Dad! We’re here!” She called. 

Willa’s two younger brothers sprinted down the stairs, involved in a game of tag. “Hey, Willa,” they said breathlessly, before dashing off to the living room.

Willa led Dell into the kitchen, where her mother was pulling plates out of the cupboards. “Hey, Mom.”

Her mom straightened up, setting the plates on the counter, and gave Willa a hug. “Hi, sweetheart. Hi, Dell. It’s good to see you again.”

He smiled. “Likewise, Mrs. Angelo. Anything I can help with?”

“If you and Isabella want to set the table, that would be wonderful.”

He took the plates from the counter, and Willa grabbed the silverware and napkins. They diligently set out everything in the dining room, then returned to the kitchen. Mrs. Angelo was gone, but she soon returned, pushing Mr. Angelo in his wheelchair. She settled him at the head of the table and went to call the boys for dinner.

Philby went into the dining room, offering a hand to Mr. Angelo, who shook his hand firmly. “Hi, Mr. Angelo. It’s so nice to finally meet you! Dell Philby, I go by Philby.” Willa smiled, watching their interaction–Philby was talking to her dad just as he would have if her father hadn’t been in a wheelchair.

Mr. Angelo smiled. “Isabella’s told us a lot about you.” 

Philby blushed lightly, smiling at Willa. “Well, I really appreciate you all having me tonight.”

The rest of the family entered and sat down, Willa next to Philby and Mrs. Angelo next to Mr. Angelo. They prayed and dug into the food, making conversation and getting to know one another better. 

Mr. Angelo wanted to know all about what Philby was interested in studying in college, where he was wanting to go, how he liked the DHI program, and everything else he could think of. Dell took his questions in stride, talking about his dream of becoming an Imagineer after graduation. He also explained his role within the Keepers, which Willa’s parents seemed impressed by. 

“So you’re in charge of making sure everybody wakes up safe and sound?” Willa’s mom asked.

Philby nodded. “Pretty much. The technology isn’t too complicated to work, which is nice–it keeps everybody safe most of the time, even without my help. I just sort of keep an eye on things.”

Willa laughed. “Most of the time is right.”

After dinner, Dell and Willa helped with the dishes. “Well, that went well,” Willa said quietly. “Thank you for coming, my dad was so excited to meet you.”

“He’s so cool! He seemed really into the computer stuff.”

“Yeah, he used to work with computers, before…”

Philby nodded, drying the last of the dishes. The two made their way to the living room, where Willa’s parents were finishing their television show and starting her father’s nighttime routine. Philby shuffled his feet. “Is there anything I can help with, Mrs. Angelo? Mr. Angelo?”

Mrs. Angelo seemed surprised, but nodded. “If you want, we can teach you how to use the lift to get him into bed.”

Philby nodded. “I’d love to learn how to if you’re okay with that, Mr. Angelo.”

“Sure, son.”

Willa and her mother showed Philby the hammock-like piece of fabric that Mr. Angelo sat on when in the wheelchair. There were handles on either side of the piece of fabric. Philby lifted one side, and Willa the other, while Mrs. Angelo rolled over a piece of equipment with a hook. 

“So, we hook the straps on here,” Willa instructed, struggling a little under her father’s weight, “and then we roll the lift over to the bed.”

Philby helped her push the equipment, lowering it so Mr. Angelo was touching the bed.

“Perfect,” Willa encouraged, “And now we make sure he’s on the bed okay, and we lower the lift just a little more and unhook him. Easy, right?”

Philby smiled at her. “Piece of cake.”

Mr. Angelo cut in. “Thank you, Philby. You’re a fast learner!”

Dell shrugged. “Thanks, sir. Anything else I can help with?”

Willa helped her mother walk Philby through some more of her dad’s nightly routine. She found herself greatly encouraged not only by the extra pair of hands but by the extra support. It was nice to have someone in her corner who wasn’t treating her or her dad with pity.

After a bit, Willa’s dad shooed them out. “Thank you for all the help, Philby. You kids go hang out in the living room for a bit, relax. Just not too late, okay?”

“You got it, Dad,” Willa kissed his cheek. “Goodnight. Love you.”

“Love you more, darlin’.”

Philby pulled the door closed behind them, following Willa over to the couch. 

Once he sat down next to her, she beamed at him. “You’re amazing.”

He blushed. “Thanks, love. But you’re the one who does this every night. I’m impressed, I never realized how much you had on your plate.”

“Well, you adjust. It’s not like I could just… not. You know?”

“Mm hmm.”

She snuggled into his side. “Thank you for coming, and for not treating him any differently. A lot of people tend to talk down to him because of the chair.”

He stroked her hair. “Well, they shouldn’t. He’s quite obviously brilliant.”

They sat in silence for a while, enjoying each other’s presence. “Willa?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask why you’ve never told the Keepers about your dad?”

She closed her eyes. “I didn’t want you guys to treat me any differently. It’s not that it wouldn’t be good for them to know, and good for me to talk about, but I just want to be me, you know? Not the girl whose dad was in that accident. I didn’t want a pity party.” She took a shaky breath, trying and failing to keep the hot, bitter tears from falling. He tugged her close. “I don’t want you guys bringing it up all the time and reminding me of it–I just want some place I can feel normal and sort of forget about it.”

He kissed her forehead tenderly, speaking softly. “Well if I ever start doing any of those things, smack me, okay?”

She snorted. 

“I’m serious!” He protested. “You trusted me with this, and I intend to honor that. So tell me if I screw it up, so I can fix it.”

She smiled. “Deal.”

He checked his watch. “For now, though, you need to get to bed, and I need to get home… it’s almost ten! My mom is going to freak, and we’ve got crossover scheduled for eleven.”

“I totally forgot! MK tonight?”

“Yep. See you there?”

She squeezed his hand. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”


End file.
